Objective traumatic brain injury assessment system and method

ABSTRACT

A system and method for determining the neurological function of a patient by examining ocular responses.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/170,374, entitled “Objective Traumatic Brain Injury Assessment Systemand Method”, filed on Jul. 9, 2008, and issued on Aug. 2, 2011 as U.S.Pat. No. 7,988,287, which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/948,656, entitled “ObjectiveTraumatic Brain Injury Assessment”, filed on Jul. 9, 2007, and which isa continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/981,996,entitled “Ophthalmic Aberrometer for Measuring Aberrations in the Eye”filed on Nov. 4, 2004, and issued on Sep. 2, 2008 as U.S. Pat. No.7,419,264 and the specification and claims thereof are incorporatedherein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosticians traditionally have relied onsubjective evaluations of the degree of injury to the brain or wait forexpensive, highly sophisticated instruments, like MRIs, to diagnose apatient for brain injury. In battlefield conditions access to MRIs onscene are not practical. Subjective evaluation leads to undiagnosed anduntreated brain injury until the trauma has caused irreversible injury.Prompt objective diagnosis and rapid therapy to minimize the effects ofthe brain trauma are essential to reduce damaging side effects, reducemedical costs long term and to improve overall outcomes. Theintroduction of objective measurement tools will provide the clinicianwith the ability to quickly, reliably, and routinely determine andmonitor the state of the patient's injury during the initial diagnosisand throughout the treatment and recovery process.

In addition to inflammatory, infectious or autoimmune insult ofperipheral cranial nerve, nerve root or brain stem in addition toneoplastic involvement of peripheral cranial nerve, nerve root or brainstem is a significant healthcare problem worldwide. Crucial to propertreatment and prognosis is an accurate assessment of neurologicalfunction. Universally, TBI assessment is accomplished according to theGlasgow Coma Scale (GCS)¹. However, this assessment is not entirelyapplicable to all situations and the ceiling effect associated with theGCS makes this neurologic rating scale less sensitive for monitoringmilder cases of TBI². This can lead to a delay in appropriate treatmentduring the critical 24 to 48 hours after a suspected TBI when secondarybrain damage is most likely to occur. Examples of limitations with theGCS include intubated patients who cannot complete the verbal responsecategory, patients with temporary paralysis, or patients who are unableto complete the motor response test, such as with those treated usingthe current practice of early sedation^(3,4). In addition, a patient'sGCS rating can have significant variability from diagnostician todiagnostician owing to its largely subjective nature^(5,6,7). In aLondon study of emergency neurosurgical referrals, it was determinedthat only 51% of patients arrived with accurate GCS scores⁸. Theinherent subjectivity of the GCS, coupled with the previously mentionedceiling effect for mild TBI, can result in the premature discontinuationof treatment or discharge of patients still in need of monitoring ortreatment. Ultimately a one-point variation in scoring can mean thedifference in deciding to send a patient to a Level 1 trauma center ornot, having a significant affect on the care the trauma patientreceives. In response to some of these limitations, ways to improveclassification of patients with TBI are being developed⁹. Improved TBIdescription will not only offer considerable value for clinicaltrials^(10,11) but will also influence clinical management and specifictherapies¹².

Based upon available evidence and medical understanding of thephysiological factors involved, a method and system providingreproducible, objective measurements of visual system dysfunction canprovide a reliable indication of Mild to Moderate levels of TraumaticBrain Injuries (MMTBI). Such data will prove useful not only in theinitial diagnosis, but will have significant value for prognostic andrehabilitative purposes.

One aspect of the present invention provides a method to develop anddemonstrate a field deployable instrument capable of obtaining reliablemeasurements of visual function that could be used in the earlydiagnosis of MMTBI patients.

Another aspect provides an apparatus to measure an ocular response thatobjectively measures visual function to detect MMTBI³¹. The system andmethod of the present invention provides one or more of the followingadvantages; ease of use, fast, non-invasive, and objective measurementsfrom the initial classification of a patient's neurological state,through the early stage treatment, drug response/effect and into therehabilitation process. The instrument's ease of use will allow forfrequent monitoring of a patient's condition during longitudinalassessment thereby providing quick, reliable assessment for field andclinical environments alike.

A benefit of one embodiment of the system and method is application tothe military personnel serving in today's overseas combat operationwhere the occurrence of MMTBI is a daily threat. The relationshipbetween visual ocular response and specific neurological conditions hasnot previously been thoroughly investigated.

TBI occurs when a sudden trauma, such as a blow to the head orpenetrating head injury disrupts the function of the brain. Although,numerous methods have been proposed to measure, and thus classify braindamage, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is most commonly used for initialassessment of severity of damage¹. Patients with MMTBI may exhibit arange of visual system dysfunction, including binocular, oculomotor,accommodative, visual field loss, refractive error shift, and visualperceptual deficits^(14,15). Unfortunately, visual system assessment isoften not performed during the acute stage of medical intervention; infact, more often than not, incoming patients do not receive a thoroughevaluation of their visual system at all. The reasons that visualassessments are not routinely performed include the lack of astandardized mechanism and protocol that will operate and be applicableunder the largely varying situations present and the lack of anestablished, direct correlation with MMTBI. For example, TBI assessmentsare often made at different points in time and under greatly varyingconditions, such as at the site of injury, during transportation tohospital, in the emergency room, or prior to admission.

Early detection of MMTBI is of particular importance to the Departmentof Defense. Average rates of brain injuries in deployed personnel areover twice as high as in the civilian population^(16,17). Inadequatediagnosis of MMTBI can have immediate consequence on operations andlong-term impact on victims. Service members with no apparent symptomsafter an assault or other physical injury can develop complicationsanywhere from 2 hours to 6 days after the initial injury¹⁸. Symptoms caninclude cognitive problems such as fatigue, irritability, anxiety,dizziness and visual disturbances, which can affect the ability tofunction, especially in a high-stress combatsituation^(19,20,21,22,23,24). These individuals are at risk of beinginadvertently returned to duty and presenting an adverse risk tothemselves, their comrades and their missions.

The preferred diagnostic technique for head injuries in Combat SupportHospitals (CSH) is structural imaging using computerized tomography(CT). CT imaging provides more clinical information than can be obtainedfrom physical examination of a patient. Unfortunately CT imaging mayshow as negative for mild to moderate trauma. Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) is often the preferred diagnostic technique for other neurologicinsults, or disease. With the addition of MRI, especially whenintegrated with single-photon emission computed tomography, measurementscan more accurately show the physiological extent of a lesion, diseaseor other neurologic injury of the brain²⁵. This outcome, which can betrue even for MMTBI, assumes that a patient has been first, adequatelyidentified as a potential MMTBI case, and second, enough time has passedthat an identifiable lesion has formed. Even so, the physical size,operational complexity, and logistics of MRI preclude its use in everyCSH. Thus, a new system and method for clinical and research usesuitable for field use is required to bridge the gap between CT and MRI.

An objective technique for reliable and repeatable assessment of ocularresponse to access central and peripheral neurological function inpotential MMTBI patients for example, would provide a complementary testof neurological function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention provides an ophthalmicexamination device comprising a wavefront sensor aligned with an eye ofa patient through a first optical path; a target aligned with the eyethrough a second optical path; a pupil imager aligned with the eyethrough the first optical path or the second optical path; wherein thewavefront sensor is positioned to measure the variation in the wavefrontreflected from the retina of the eye via the first optical path. In apreferred embodiment a fundus imager is aligned with the eye through thefirst optical path or the second optical path. The target may be aphysical target or a virtual target. A deformable mirror in the secondoptical path may produce changes in the position of the virtual target.Alternatively a mirror is mechanically altered to move the target to anew physical location. In another embodiment a deformable mirror in thefirst optical path, the second optical path or a combination thereofprovides correction of refractive error. In yet another embodiment anillumination source is co-aligned to the first optical path, the secondoptical path or a combination thereof. In a more preferred embodiment,the device further comprises a binocular wherein both eyes share acommon optical path to the target. In this embodiment, a mirror forcorrection of refractive error may be in the common path.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a method for determiningneurological function of a patient comprising the steps of automaticallymeasuring accommodation in both eyes of a patient simultaneouslycomprising presenting a target within an ophthalmic examination deviceto an eye of a patient to focus upon wherein the target is in a firstposition of the ophthalmologic examination device. A first wavefront ofreflected light from the eye focused upon the target is measured using awavefront sensor aligned with the eye via a first optical path. Thetarget is moved to a second position while the eye is focused upon thetarget. A change in the wavefront measured from the eye when the targetis moved to the second position is compared to the wavefront measuredfrom the eye focused upon the target in the first position. A responsetime is determined of the eye to follow the target from the firstposition to the second position to determine the accommodation of theeye. In a preferred embodiment the response time for accommodation ofthe eye is compared to a database of control accommodation to produce anaccommodation score.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method fordetermining neurological function comprising the steps of: automaticallymeasuring saccades in both eyes of a patient simultaneously comprising:presenting a target within an ophthalmic examination device to an eye ofa patient to focus upon wherein the target is in a first position of anophthalmologic examination device. An eye tracking vector is calculatedfor each eye independently as each eye is focused upon the target.Motion of the vector is measured over time to determine saccades. In apreferred embodiment a movement above predetermined cutoff frequency ismeasured. In a more preferred embodiment a database of normal saccadesto produce a saccades score.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a method fordetermining neurological function comprising the steps of: automaticallymeasuring vergence efficiency in both eyes of a patient simultaneouslycomprising: a) presenting a target within an ophthalmic examinationdevice to an eye of a patient to focus upon; b) calculating an eyetracking vector for each eye independently as each eye is focused uponthe target; c) determining the intersection of the left eye vector andright eye vector focused upon the target in a first position incomparison to the actual target position within the ophthalmicexamination device; and d) determining the tracking accuracy of each eyeby determining offset of an eye vector in comparison to calculatedtarget position to determine vergence errors. In a preferred embodimentsteps a)-d) are repeated as the target is moved to a second position;and vergence efficiency at a plurality of intermediate positions betweenthe first and second target position is measured. In a more preferredembodiment, a movement below a predetermined cutoff frequency ismeasured. In yet another embodiment, the vergence errors determined arecompared to a control database of vergence errors to produce a vergenceefficiency score.

Yet another embodiment provides a method for determining neurologicalfunction comprising the steps of: automatically determining smoothpursuit in both eyes of a patient simultaneously comprising: presentinga target within an ophthalmic examination device to an eye of a patientto focus upon wherein the target is in a first position of an ophthalmicexamination device; calculating an eye tracking vector for each eyeindependently as each eye is focused upon the target to produce a lefteye vector and a right eye vector; determining the intersection of theleft eye vector and right eye vector focused upon the target incomparison to the target position within the ophthalmic examinationdevice; moving the target in a pattern; comparing each eyes temporal eyetracking of the moving target over time; and determining temporalcorrelation of each eyes movement to the moving target to determinesmooth pursuit of each eye as an indication of neurological function.The pattern may be random or non-random. In a preferred embodiment ascore as to the calculated smooth pursuit of each eye of patient iscompared to a database of control values to produce a smooth pursuitscore.

Yet another embodiment provides a method for determining neurologicalfunction comprising the steps of: automatically measuring pupillaryresponse comprising: determining pupil size of each eye independently ina first light condition with a device as described in FIG. 1; comparingpupil sizes; measuring pupil response time of each eye after a change inlight condition; and comparing the pupillary response time of each eyeas an indication of neurological function. In a preferred embodiment apupillary response is determined by providing a score as to thecalculated pupillary response of each eye as compared to a controlresponse.

Still another embodiment provides a method for determining neurologicalfunction of a patient comprising the steps of: generating a scorereflective of the neurological function of a patient based upon one ormore scores selected from eye accommodation score, eye vergence score,eye saccades score, eye smooth pursuit score, pupillary response scoreor any combination thereof to determine the neurological function of thepatient.

In yet another embodiment, measurements of the eye are not takensimultaneously but are taken independent of the other eye.

It is an aspect of the present invention to evaluate neurologicalfunction with a system and method to monitor one or more of thefollowing: accommodation, pupillary response, vergence, saccades, smoothpursuant using a field deployable instrument capable of obtainingreliable measurements of visual function that could be used in the earlydiagnosis of patients with brain injury, neurological disease or acombination thereof. For example, stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, AmylateralSclerosis, polyneuropathy, mononeuritis multiplex, meningitis, headtrauma.

On object of the present invention provides for a system and method forevaluating neurological function in patients having, stroke,Parkinson's, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sports injuries anddrug efficacy and toxicity.

Another aspect of the present invention provides an ophthalmicexamination device to measure an ocular response that objectivelymeasures neurological function to detect brain injury, neurologicaldisease or a combination thereof. One embodiment of the presentinvention provides one or more of the following; ease of use, fast,non-invasive, consistent, and objective measurements from the initialclassification of a patient's neurological state, through the earlystage treatment through the rehabilitation process.

Another object of the present invention provides for ease of use of anophthalmic examination device for frequent monitoring of a patient'scondition during the entire treatment process, providing quick, reliableassessment for field and clinical environments alike.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent in the following detailed description read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The file of this patent contains at least one drawing executed in color.Copies of this patent with color drawing(s) will be provided by thePatent and Trademark Office upon request and payment of the necessaryfee.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the ophthalmic examination device.

FIG. 2 is an example of accommodation for defocus (2 a) and spherical (2b) observation from an eye with an ophthalmic examination deviceaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of measurements of eye tracking with aprior art ophthalmic examination device.

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of an eye tracking vector.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart for the measurement of accommodationaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart for the measurement of saccadesaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates vergence of both eyes focused on the same target.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart for the measurement of vergenceaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart for the measurement of smooth eyepursuit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow chart for the measurement of pupillaryresponse according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Many aspects of visual functioning require communication among widelyseparated areas of the brain. The pathways connecting the retina to theprimary visual cortex traverse its entire length. Injury to white matterconnecting these widely spread vision-related areas may result in visualfield deficits, changes in color vision, and/or oculomotor dysfunction.Oculomotor systems which govern eye movements and include vergences,accommodation, and versions, involve both brainstem, cortical andsubcortical processing. Functional imaging studies have implicatedmultiple areas, including the paramedian pontine reticular formation,vermis of the cerebellum, superior colliculus, frontal and parietal eyefields, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, visual cortex, vestibularcortex, basal ganglia and thalamus.

Injury to white matter connecting widely spread vision-related areas mayresult in visual field deficits, changes in color vision, and/oroculomotor dysfunction (e.g., vergence, accommodation, saccades, smoothpursuit), collectively termed the post-trauma vision syndrome.

A meta-analysis of three clinically measurable oculomotor associatedfunctions from four (4) studies containing a combined population ofcontrol and TBI patients was performed. Oculomotor outcome variables(accommodation, vergence, and version) were measured. Pooled risk ratiosfor the incidence of accommodative abnormalities in subjects with TBIcompared to subjects without TBI indicate an increased incidence in thesubjects with TBI. Dispersion was uniform. Pooled risk ratios for theincidence of vergence abnormalities in subjects with TBI compared tosubjects without TBI indicate an increased incidence in the subjectswith TBI. Dispersion was uniform. Pooled risk ratios for the incidenceof versional abnormalities in subjects with TBI compared to subjectswithout TBI indicate an increased incidence in the subjects with TBI.Dispersion was uniform.

The Mantel-Haenszel methods (the default fixed effect methods ofmeta-analysis programmed in RevMan) were used. Using this method, datafrom each study is weighted based on several parameters including theeffect measure (relative risk (RR) in this case) and study size. Theeffect size represented as rate of an event in TBI/rate of an event innon-TBI control ranged from approximately 3×-7.7×.

The relative risks for dysfunctions of accommodation, vergences weredescribed, thus allowing a metric as to the use of these oculomotorfunctions in the detection of TBI or as associated clinical predictors.For the meta-analysis the RevMan software was used in keeping withCochrane Collaboration guidelines. All three measures of oculomotorfunction were significantly affected in TBI, with the greatest effectsize occurring in vergence, followed by versions, and thenaccommodation. Heterogeneity in selected studies was estimated usingI2=[(Q df)/Q]×100%, where Q is the chi-squared statistic and df is itsdegrees of freedom. The resulting percentage describes the variabilityin effect estimates that is due to heterogeneity rather than samplingerror (chance). A value greater than 50% is usually consideredsubstantial heterogeneity. All 12 values in this study were less than50% signifying great levels of homogeneity among included studies. Basedupon Applicant's observations a system and method for measuringneurological function of a patient with an embodiment of an ophthalmicexamination device is described.

One embodiment of the present invention provides an ophthalmicexamination device. Referring now to FIG. 1, one embodiment of theophthalmic examination device is illustrated. An eye under examination103 is aligned with a wavefront sensor 111 via a first optical path thatpasses through a beam splitter for example 106, 108 and 110. A target107 is aligned with the eye via a second optical path for example a paththat passes through 106. In a preferred embodiment, imager 113 is in thefirst optical path and images the pupil of the eye 103. In a preferredembodiment image 115 is in the first optical path and images the fundusof the eye 103. In a more preferred embodiment adaptive optics 105correct for refractive error of the eye under examination. Thecorrection can be manual or automatic. Image projection system 109comprises optical components capable of varying apparent (image)longitudinal component of target 107 as well as a mirror capable ofmoving image laterally. Mirror 112 can be a deformable mirror or amirror whose position is mechanically changed or a plurality thereof.The skilled practitioner in the art will readily recognize that based onmechanical convenience, wavelengths being used by different devices orother similar considerations there are a plurality of means to rearrangecomponents and optical path branching points while still achieving thesame functionality depicted in FIG. 1. All of these variations arewithin the scope and spirit of meaning for FIG. 1. For example, beampath 102 can be split by a beam splitter selectively for a definedwavelength. For example, beam splitter 106 may pass a portion of thelight in the beam path from the target. For example, light having awavelength of between about 400 nm to about 700 nm. For light reflectedfrom the eye 103 to the beam splitter 106, the complimentary fraction ofthe light passed by the beam splitter 106 is directed by the beamsplitter 106 to beam splitter 108 which may transmit/receive lighthaving a wavelength of between about 400 nm to about 1000 nm. Imager 115is tuned to wavelengths of about 550 nm, for example, while imager 113and detector 111 may be tuned to about 750 nm to about 800 nmwavelengths. However, each beam splitter can be selected to transmit orreceive a denied wavelength or range of wavelengths. Also the particulararrangement of imagers and sensor can be integrated in a first opticalpath or a second optical path without changing the function of theinvention or its scope. Also, an imager or sensor can be integrated in afirst optical path or a second optical path without changing the scopeof the invention or its functions. An optical path is a path that a rayof light will follow through the system.

In a preferred embodiment both eyes are examined simultaneously with abinocular non-mydriatic ophthalmic examination device. In a morepreferred embodiment, both eyes are examined simultaneously whileobserving a target in a common optical path. In a more preferredembodiment control data collection and data processing system 119obtains information from one or more components 115, 113, 109, 107, 111for measuring visual system efficiency such as defocus and sphericalaberration measurement, high resolution eye tracking, virtual targetprojection to determine accommodation, vergences, saccades, smoothpursuit of eye and pupillary response from both eyes simultaneously,however, the device is not limited thereto as each eye can be observedindependently in using a monocular device. However by simultaneouslymeasuring both eyes for multiple parameters the patient is not fatiguedwith exposure to multiple instruments over time and improvedmeasurements can be obtained.

An illumination source is co-aligned to a first optical path, a secondoptical path, or a combination thereof. An illumination source can betuned to a wavelength that stimulates the eye or that is non-stimulatingto the eye.

Real-Time Accommodation: Real time measurement of the aberrations inpatients' eyes are observed, measured, determined, scored or somecombination thereof with an ophthalmic examination device according toone embodiment of the present invention.

One embodiment of the present invention utilizes a wavefront sensor togenerate defocus and spherical aberration measurement measurements. In apreferred embodiment, the wavefront sensor is a distorted gratingwavefront sensor. The distorted grating wavefront sensor has severaladvantages, one of which is that the data to generate the aberrationinformation is contained in a single, small-size image as compared tothe amount of data required with a Shack-Hartman wavefront sensor. Asvery little data needs to be collected as compared to data collectionwith a Shack-Hartman wavefront sensor, the detector used can be rugged,inexpensive, and be operated at very high data acquisition rates forexample a camera can be operated at high frame rates. Additionally, theprocessing algorithm used for the reconstruction of the aberration mapis very insensitive to scatter sources that may be present in the eye³¹.Such advantages allow not only improved measurement of staticaccommodation in refractive accommodations, but also measurement ofdynamic accommodation obtained as the subject refocuses betweendistances. Referring now to FIG. 2, an example of defocus and sphericalaberration measurement is provided. FIG. 2( a) illustrates defocusmeasurement as detected from the wavefront sensor. FIG. 2( b)illustrates spherical aberration measurement as detected by thewavefront sensor. Together the measurements of defocus and sphericalaberration of the eye provide an accommodation measurement based uponthe time required for the aberration to reach steady state or somefraction thereof, for example, about 75% of steady state.

One of the common complaints associated with brain injury or disease isblurry vision. The blurry vision can be the result of neurologicalimpairments, but it is also important to be able to conclusively ruleout physiological (functional) causes for this impairment, such asrefractive errors as a result of the injury, elevated pressures orpre-existing conditions in the patient. To rule out these problems, in apreferred embodiment, the system and method of the present invention areinitially adjusts to provide refractive error correction. Thiscorrection can be done manually, much as is done by manual adjustmentsof binoculars. Alternatively, wavefront sensing and adaptive opticsinclude an adaptive-optics based refractive correction upon systeminitialization. This system and method will ensure that vision defectsand dysfunctions measured by the device are neurological.

Another embodiment provides for a dynamically varying target that can beseen by the patient. In one example, a liquid crystal display andprojection optics allow the system to simulate targets that the patientwill visualize at different distances and positions in the visual field.Varying the range of the target's apparent distance will stimulate thesubjects' accommodation function enabling the aberrometer to obtainreal-time measurements of accommodation.

Eye Tracking: Oculomotor function as an indicator of neurologicalfunction will be measured with improved resolution eye tracking havingan improved degree of angular accuracy. Typically eye tracking systemsare based on measurements made from a reference point within the pupilor on the cornea using either infrared or visible light. While thesesystems are ideal for general eye tracking applications, such as visionresearch²⁶, the accuracy of these systems is poor (0.5° typically). Suchan error corresponds to an error distance of, approximately, 17 mm for afixation distance of 2 m. This is clearly not accurate enough to observethe subtle defects in visual function such as double-vision that canoccur from brain injury or disease such as MMTBI or other central andperipheral brain disease. For such measurements a very high degree ofangular accuracy is required. For example, to achieve a measurementdisplacement of 1.7 mm at a 2 m fixation point, an angular accuracy of0.05° is preferred, which is an order of magnitude smaller than that ofcurrently available eye tracker systems. Referring now to FIG. 3, atypical eye tracking response is illustrated. The inset of themeasurement illustrates sensitivity of low amplitude motion of the eyefor normal resolution tracking observed with a prior art of ophthalmicexamination device.

One embodiment of the present invention provides for a combined pupiland retina mapping technique. Referring now to FIG. 4, an eye trackingvector is determined for a patient's eye 409 according to one embodimentof the present invention. In a preferred embodiment a non-mydriaticbinocular ophthalmic examination device acquires high speed images ofthe retina and pupil simultaneously from both eyes observing the sametarget. Using the pupil position 403 and retinal landmarks (such as thefovea) on the retina 405 a very accurate eye tracking vector 407 of eyedirection can be calculated. As used herein the term eye tracking vectoris defined as the line 407 from a position on the patient's optic disc405 through a position about center of the patient's pupil 403 whichdefines a patient's central vision. As this is performed simultaneouslyin both eyes, the convergence of the two eyes can be determined. Using adisplacement of 2 mm at a 2 m fixation point, the required displacementmeasurement on the retina is approximately 4 μm; making an accurateimproved retina tracking system possible.

A target within the device allows the observer to measure the eyesaccommodation as the target is in a static position and also when thetarget is repositioned. Referring now to FIG. 5, a flow chart of thesteps to determine a patient's defocus and spherical aberration isillustrated according to one embodiment of the present invention. Atarget is presented to the patient's eye to focus upon 504. A wavefrontreflected from the eye is measured from the eye focused upon the target506. The target is moved to a second position while the change in thewavefront from the eye under examination is measured 508. Theaccommodation response time for the eye based upon a change in thewavefront measured indicates the eyes accommodation measurement. Theaccommodation measurement is an indication of the neurological health ofthe patient. The spherical and defocus measurement for a patient can bemonitored longitudinally to determine the change over time of these eyemeasurements. Alternatively, the measurements may be compared to normalor control measurements. The normal or control database of measurementsmay be age similar controls or disease similar controls but not limitedthereto.

In conjunction with information about the position of the target theaccuracy of the visual direction of the two eyes relative to the targetis calculated, and therefore a measure of the vergence characteristicsis obtained. A vergence is the simultaneous movement of both eyes inopposite directions to obtain or maintain single binocular vision. Thetwo eyes converge to point to the same object. When a creature withbinocular vision looks at an object, the eyes must rotate around avertical axis so that the projection of the image is in the centre ofthe retina in both eyes. To look at an object closer by, the eyes rotatetowards each other convergence, while for an object farther away theyrotate away from each other divergence. Exaggerated convergence iscalled cross eyed viewing (focusing on the nose for example). Whenlooking into the distance, the eyes neither converge nor diverge.Vergence movements are closely connected to accommodation of the eye.Under normal conditions, changing the focus of the eyes to look at anobject at a different distance will automatically cause vergence andaccommodation.

Measurements of the instantaneous change of eye position can bemonitored, as a target is switched from one position to another. Themeasurements will characterize the performance of the eyes individuallyand operating in concert, giving an accurate, objective assessment ofany deficiency due to MMTBI or other central or peripheral disease orinjury. The target can be a physical object or an image of a virtualtarget. In a preferred embodiment the target is a virtual target whosevirtual position is changed with deformable mirrors.

Referring now to FIG. 6, one embodiment of the present inventionprovides for determining the saccades of the eye of a patient as anindication of the neurological function of the patient. A target ispresented to a patient to focus upon 602. An eye tracking vector foreach eye is calculated 604. The motion of the eye tracking vector overtime is measured and the amplitude and frequency saccades over time aredetermined.

In another embodiment, the wavefront sensor and a deformable mirrorsystem are the components needed to realize adaptive optics correctionof refractive defects and make it possible to correct basic refractiveerrors as well as more complex problems such as oblique astigmatism thatcan render a patient unsuitable for fundus imaging. The adaptive opticscorrection also addresses issue of clarity of image being due tosomething other than neurological dysfunction.

Real Time Visual Stimulus: One embodiment of the present inventionprovides for measuring eye performance parameters. For example, apatient is asked to focus on a target that the subject can visualize.Traditionally these targets have been marks or small objects that aremoved by the clinician. To measure the speed performance of the eye, anew type of target is required. The target changes position or rangerapidly and at a precisely known point in the measurement sequence. Oneembodiment of the invention provides an automated target that isresponsive to the measurement taken, the instructions of an algorithmoperated on a computer and or the user.

It is known that the eye of a normal subject has a response-to-stimuluslatency of approximately 360 ms, a fixation time from far-to-close ofabout 640 ms, and a time from close-to-far of 560 ms²⁷. To measure theseresponse times a target will be “moved” in time periods much smallerthan this, on the order of tens of milliseconds. In a preferredembodiment the interval is less than 100 ms. In a more preferredembodiment the interval is between about 10-100 ms.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the convergence point with the target isillustrated. From a retinal landmark 701 and a landmark on the pupil 702on the left eye 709 a left eye tracking vector is determined whichdefines the line of vision 705 for the left eye when the eye is focusedupon a target 707. Similarly, a retinal landmark 703 and a pupillandmark 704 on the right eye 711 is determined which defines the lineof vision 706 for the right eye when the eye is focused upon a target707.

For example, vergence measurements are acquired from both eyes whileobserving the same object which will require the two eyes to observe theobject through the same optical path within an ophthalmic examinationdevice. A preferred embodiment of the ophthalmic device includes anon-mydriatic binocular. This will ensure that both eyes of a patientare properly converging to the same point in object space. A common pathconfiguration will avoid the possibility of convergence errors due tomisalignment in the equipment, which would be possible when using aseparate target for each eye. It is also possible to envisage a setupwhere there are two targets that are adjusted independently with eacheye observing a separate target.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the vergence error of a patient's eyes isdetermined as an indication of the neurological health of the patient. Atarget is presented to an eye of the patient 802. An eye tracking vectorfor each eye is determined when the eye is focused upon the target 804.The left eye vector and the right eye vector intersect when both eyesare focused upon the target is determined 806. The convergence error isdetermined by comparing the location of the target with the intersectionpoint 808.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a virtual targetsystem has a response times far shorter than the accommodation time ofthe eye as discussed above. This allows measurement of the time takenfor the eye to adjust to the target position. Due to the short timescale as discussed above, traditional adjustable optics based onmechanical movement of lenses is not preferred, so the use of deformablemirrors is preferred. Traditionally, deformable mirrors have beendeveloped to combat the effects of atmospheric turbulence on the imagingperformance of large telescopes. Based on the small mechanical actuationof a semi-flexible mirror it is possible to very accurately control thelight reflecting off the surface. By controlling just the defocus term,these mirrors make an ideal candidate for an optical system that isinstantly reconfigurable. Using several mirrors in conjunction willcreate a virtual target that can move to a protocol-defined distancefrom the observer. Particularly for measurement systems used for theeye, adapting to the individual peculiarities of each eye is frequentlyan essential precondition for eliminating or limiting sources of erroror even the precondition for results capable of evaluation.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow chart of the determination of smoothpursuit of the eye to a moving target is determined as an indication ofthe neurological health of the patient. A target is presented to botheyes of a patient to focus upon 902. An eye tracking vector isindependently determined for each eye focused upon the target 904 whichidentifies a line of vision for each eye. The intersection of the lineof vision for both eyes is determined and compared to the position ofthe target 906. The target is moved in a pattern and the each eye'sability to follow the moving target is detected 908. The temporal eyetracking of the moving target as compared to the position of the targetover time is measured to indicate the smooth pursuit of the eye as anindication of the neurological health of the patient 910.

Another common observed ocular defect is asymmetric pupils afterconcussion. One embodiment of the present invention images the pupil todetermine location and centroid. Simultaneously, the image processingsystem can return the sizes of both pupils in response to the samestimuli, rather than performing independent pupillometry measurements inthose situations where the additional information can enhance theunderstanding of the patient's condition by detecting assumptive ordelayed stimulus responses. Referring now to FIG. 10, a flow diagram ofthe determination of the pupillary response as an indication of theneurological function of the patient is illustrated according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The pupil size of each eye isdetermined under a first light condition 1002. The size of each pupileach compared to the other 1004. The size of each pupil is determined ina second light condition 1006. Comparing the pupillary response time ofeach eye for each condition 1008. Providing a pupillary response score.

The entire disclosures of all references, applications, patents, andpublications cited above and/or in the references, and of thecorresponding application(s), are hereby incorporated by reference.

REFERENCES

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What is claimed is:
 1. A method for determining neurological function ofa patient comprising the steps of: automatically measuring accommodationin both eyes of a patient simultaneously comprising: presenting a targetwithin an ophthalmic examination device to an eye of a patient to focusupon wherein the target is in a first position of the ophthalmologicexamination device; measuring a first wavefront of reflected light fromthe eye focused upon the target using a wavefront sensor aligned withthe eye via a first optical path; moving the target to a second positionwhile the eye is focused upon the target; comparing a change in thewavefront measured from the eye when the target is moved to the secondposition from the first position; and determining a response time of theeye to follow the target from the first position to the second positionto determine the accommodation of the eye.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising the step of comparing the response time foraccommodation of the eye to a database of control accommodation toproduce an accommodation score.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein thetarget is a virtual target.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the virtualposition of the virtual target is changed with a deformable mirror.
 5. Amethod for determining neurological function comprising the steps of:automatically measuring pupillary response comprising: determining pupilsize of each eye independently in a first light condition with a deviceas described in claim 1; comparing pupil sizes; measuring pupil responsetime of each eye after a change in light condition; and comparing thepupillary response time of each eye as an indication of neurologicalfunction.
 6. The method of claim 5 further comprising providing a scoreas to the calculated pupillary response of each eye as compared to acontrol response.
 7. A method for determining neurological functioncomprising the steps of: automatically measuring saccades in both eyesof a patient simultaneously comprising: presenting a target within anophthalmic examination device to an eye of a patient to focus uponwherein the target is in a first position of an ophthalmologicexamination device; calculating an eye tracking vector for each eyeindependently as each eye is focused upon the target; measuring motionof the vector over time to determine saccades.
 8. The method of claim 7wherein a movement above predetermined cutoff frequency is measured. 9.The method of claim 7 further comprising comparing the saccadesdetermined to a database of normal saccades to produce a saccades score.10. A method for determining neurological function comprising the stepsof: automatically measuring vergence efficiency in both eyes of apatient simultaneously comprising: a) presenting a target within anophthalmic examination device to an eye of a patient to focus upon; b)calculating an eye tracking vector for each eye independently as eacheye is focused upon the target; c) determining the intersection of theleft eye vector and right eye vector focused upon the target in a firstposition in comparison to the actual target position within theophthalmic examination device; and d) determining the tracking accuracyof each eye by determining offset of an eye vector in comparison tocalculated target position to determine vergence errors.
 11. The methodof claim 10 further comprising repeating steps a)-d) as the target ismoved to a second position; measuring vergence efficiency at a pluralityof intermediate positions between the first and second target position.12. The method of claim 11 further comprising comparing the vergenceerrors determined to a control database of vergence errors to produce avergence efficiency score.
 13. The method of claim 10 wherein a movementbelow a predetermined cutoff frequency is measured.
 14. A method fordetermining neurological function comprising the steps of: automaticallydetermining smooth pursuit in both eyes of a patient simultaneouslycomprising: presenting a target within an ophthalmic examination deviceto an eye of a patient to focus upon wherein the target is in a firstposition of an ophthalmic examination device; calculating an eyetracking vector for each eye independently as each eye is focused uponthe target to produce a left eye vector and a right eye vector;determining the intersection of the left eye vector and right eye vectorfocused upon the target in comparison to the target position within theophthalmic examination device; moving the target in a pattern; comparingeach eyes temporal eye tracking of the moving target over time; anddetermining temporal correlation of each eyes movement to the movingtarget to determine smooth pursuit of each eye as an indication ofneurological function.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the pattern israndom or non-random.
 16. The method of claim 15 further comprisingproviding a score as to the calculated smooth pursuit of each eye ofpatient as compared to a database of control values.